Dream Illustration - American Rodeo - Anonymous
This is an illustration of a dream from the 45 Dreams Project: the collected dreams of a troubled era, Chapter 3, anonymously submitted. These dreams about Trump and the rising threat of autocracy are collected and curated by Martha Crawford. I highly recommend subscribing.
The dream:
I attend an American rodeo show. During the interval Trump walks over to the middle of the stadium to address the audience. A beautiful chestnut mare with a single white star on her forehead breaks loose and races over to him. With her teeth she rips off Donald’s blonde wig and then carries it around the stadium, in her mouth, like a trophy. Trump, at once, covers his head in shame and instructs his security men to get the hairpiece back; only they can’t catch the horse as she moves in a way they don’t understand. The audience is shocked. Many (including myself) begin to laugh nervously at first, then with more gusto. We can’t figure out whether this is part of the show or not. Trump knows there will be no comeback from this. He’s finished for good and is now a laughing stock. The entire dream took place in the stadium, which was a large circle. And aside from being an audience member, I took no other part in this dream.
~ Anonymous
I don’t have the dreamer to converse with, so I’ve only got my own reactions to this dream to go on. Here’s what came up for me as I drew the illustration:
I don’t know if Trump is capable of feeling shame. I wish he could feel it. What I want is to see him EXPRESS shame somehow. It would make him feel like part of the world, able to be affected, and a capacity to understand how he has affected people. Drawing him covering his head in shame really caused some distress for me; I think it’s because this is not something that would happen in waking life.
The laughter from the audience felt most accurate to draw floating up like ghosts. I thought it would be cathartic to draw this part, but it made me strangely sad. I’m not sure why.
My favorite thing to draw was the chestnut mare. I love her, and I tried to depict her with as much joy and playfulness as I could. Literally unbridled energy; something I feel in the lively resistance movements and protests.
This drawing has more “political cartoon” energy than I’m used to using. That may be due to the nature of the subject material and the art I’ve consumed around the subject already.
